u/Polska_Kapusta

So let me start this off saying I know heels are not as prevalent nowadays as they used to be even a couple years ago, and its not expected of women to wear them casually in public anymore, they have become more like a female version of suit and tie, which is a major improvement but this is not enough. They should vanish completely and become a thing of the past along with super tight corsets, lead based face paint and Chinese foot binding (the last one is important here as it shares many common characteristics with heels). You're probably thinking it's extreme and heels are not even remotely as bad as foot binding which is true, but these two things have much in common and im gonna explain it here:

1. Both are a nonsensical beauty standard forced on women by society as a way to appear more attractive to men

2. Both involve smashing feet into an unnatural shape and cause lifelong problems with walking, foot deformities etc.

3. Both make it even harder for women to defend themselves as they limit their mobility so they can't run or do anything really

4. Both are (or were) used as a status symbol

You can say "But its different cuz foot binding was forced and heels are a choice!"

And yeah that's kind of true but not really. Even in the big 2026 you still have corporate jobs that require women to wear heels despite the pain and body issues they cause. Some men put them on and run for like 5 seconds then say it's not that bad but try walking and standing in them for 8 hours a day everyday for years and then you will see. I heard some clubs exist that require that too which is crazy considering clubs are a place where you're supposed to dance and how are you supposed to do that in shoes that don't even allow you to run or jump without risking a serious injury.

So my point is, if the only "choice" women have is either to wear them or lose your job/ get kicked out of a club/ not be taken seriously etc. then is it really a choice? Yeah I don't think so.

To me the fact that literally permanently damaging your body everyday just because you're a woman is accepted in today's world is crazy. Same with the fact that society still sees them as beautiful and sexy thus creates a pressure to wear them.

"But I love my heels, they make me feel more feminine/confident/whatever!"

No you don't, be honest with yourself for a minute, do you really like them or do you just like the way society sees you when you wear them? Believe it or not, little Chinese girls used to say the same about foot binding and wanted to have this procedure done because they saw bound feet as beautiful and thought it would make them more pretty. You only feel more confident wearing them because society has conditioned you to see them as beautiful and feminine instead of barbaric. But if aliens came to earth today and saw this, they would think they look ridiculous and they would be right. There's nothing feminine or beautiful about damaged feet and walking in an unnatural way.

I hope in a few years we will be able to reverse this mindset and im not saying we need to ban them completely as banning people from wearing certain shoes at all would be ridiculous, but just stop seeing them as this epitome of femininity and beauty and see them as what they are: a stupid and harmful relict of the past and let them die naturally, the same way cigarettes stopped being popular after society stopped viewing them as cool. Also for fucks sake, ban jobs or other places from having them as a requirement. What is this, 1965?

So yeah that's it, thanks if anyone read this paragraph and hopefully it sounds reasonable now, and even more so in the future.

TL;DR: Heels are basically a diet version of Chinese foot binding and just like foot binding shouldn't be a thing in modern society.